What If
by Lila Lucia
Summary: Sixteen years ago the Goddess took her away in the dead of night. Her mother and godmothers waited anxiously for her to return; her father didn't even know she existed. But maybe, just maybe, she is the one who can change everything.
1. Prolouge

Sixteen years… That's how long it had been, she thought bitterly. Sixteen years since her daughter had been born and whisked off to some foreign land by the Mother. Not that anyone knew it was her daughter of course. In fact, only three people really knew. But soon, she would be home. Yes, that is what her mother had to believe. Soon her not-so-little girl would be home where she belonged.

_Wake up little one…_A voice said in her head. _Today is __**your**__ day. You will go home…_

Shaking her head at her folly, the girl got up. 'What is up with you Luce? Hearing voices definitely does not qualify as normal.' She thought to herself. 'Plus, I am home, I mean its not like I'm adopted or anything.' With that thought Lila Lucia Potter went downstairs for her annual birthday breakfast.

"Good morning, darling. Did you sleep well?" That was Lucy's mama all right, always making sure everyone is alright.

"Of course, mama. I'm so excited! My sixteenth birthday party will be the best ever!" Digging into her breakfast Lucy looked up at her mom, noticing a small frown cross her face.

"Sweetie, there's something I've been meaning to tell you. About today…" Her mother looked sad. "You won't be having a party. Actually, you'll be leaving today."

"But mama, why? I don't understand."

Taking her daughter's face in her hands, her mother smiled at her. "I have been so lucky little one. I was able to have you as my daughter. But now, its time for you to go home. Sweetie, I guess what I'm trying to tell you is that you were adopted. Your parents, there were complications with them keeping you. So, I was able to raise you for sixteen years as though you were my daughter. But, at the end of those sixteen years, you were to return to your birth country. I'm sorry darling. I wish I could do something, but it was decided the day of your birth."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. As they opened the door, the girl saw the most beautiful woman in the world standing in front of her. Her voice sounded like hounds, yet it was very melodic at the same time. "You have raised her well, Melly, just as you promised. It is a shame that she must leave, but it is time for her to return with me. I am sorry, my child."

Bowing her head, Melly hugged her adoptive daughter. "Be good darling. You're strong. Remember all I've taught you, especially the weapons training you've been through. I love you little one."

"I love you too, mama. I'll be good and I promise I will keep practicing."

"Come child, we must go." It was the woman.

"Yes, ma'am. Bye, mama! I'll miss you." With that, Lila Lucia, daughter of warriors, was swept off to a land she never knew existed before.


	2. Breathe

_A/N: So…three and some years later I've come back. Please note that this chapter has been revised. After aging Dom, I realized the plot wouldn't quite fit where I needed everybody to be. Keeping them younger will definitely help the story not get super-confusing! So please (re-)read this chapter! :D _

When she opened her eyes it took her a while to remember what had happened. The girl was in a meadow with a little brook near her and a herd of wild horse. For awhile Lucy just watched; the gears in her head turning as she thought about what the mother had said.

She sighed "Why do all decisions have to be so difficult?"

_Well where would the fun be if they were not difficult?_ A voice answered.

Startled, she jumped up, silently drawing a dagger from her sleeve.

_I did not mean to frighten you, horse-daughter. I only wanted to answer you question. _As the voice continued to speak, a horse walked towards her. _Your mother is one of my people. I promised her that, had I the time, I would help you find her, and so I will. However, I cannot directly interfere in the affairs of men. Therefore, I must help in a roundabout sort of way, as you all would call it. Do you know how to ride horses, Lila Lucia?_

"I, I do," the girl stuttered, shocked by the easy communication between the horse and herself. "Might I ask why you're asking me this?"

Her tail flicked as she laughed. _I ask you this so that I may help you in my own way. I have a few gifts I wish for you to have. However, once I give them to you, you mush go. _

"I understand…I think"

_I expected as much, little one, considering your parentage. So, here are my gifts, in addition to those given to you by the Mother, the Green Lady, Weiryn. First, a map and a compass carved by the Winds themselves. Second, the power to Sing your Will. Third, I will grant you a companion. Her name is Eclipse; she was orphaned as a foal. _A midnight black horse came over, a white crescent-shape between her eyes. _I believe that you two belong together. Now, I cannot tell you who your mother is, but I can lead you to your godsmother. The Mother has already spoken of her to you, so you know her name. Should you be in any sort of trouble, pray to the Horse Lords for help—call Bian's name. That is all I can say to you. But now, you and Eclipse must ride. I am sorry I cannot tell you her name, child, but we must follow rules for the sake of your kind. Good-bye dear one. And remember! Bian will guide you if you call for her! Eclipse will find your godsmother, she knows the way!_

Lucy hoisted herself into the saddle and kicked Eclipse into a gallop. When she turned around to call out her thanks, the horses were gone. Facing forward she listened as the animals spoke—beavers about the crisp fall weather, hedgehogs about the warm burrows, and birds about the migration south. However she soon realized that the People were not the only ones speaking, but the Naturaleza were as well. A tall pine spoke with an ancient, thundering voice, violets spoke in happy whistles, and bushes spoke fearfully of the coming frost.

On they went, the two, for many hours. To pass the time Lucy thought of the gifts she had received from the others. The two fans, both steel-weighted, beautiful, and deadly, the bow and quiver given to her by Weiryn, and a Gift she did not quite understand—all the Green Lady and Goddess had said was that she would be able to save the lives of those around her, should she be properly trained.

While Lucy thought she didn't notice that the sun began to set, or that it began to grow a little chillier. In fact, she did not even notice when her eyelids began to drop. All she did notice was that her saddle was suddenly very comfortable—and that was the last thought she had before she was enveloped by dreams.

"Excuse me? Are you alright?" A man was shaking her, gently yet firmly. "Please, you need to wake up. Coren, get my cousin down here **now**! Tell him a girl needs help!" Suddenly the ground disappeared beneath Lucy and she felt a pair of arms carrying her.

"Dom? What's wrong?" It was another voice and, based on the pitch, this was a woman speaking.

"I don't know Kel. I found her laying across her saddle. Evric—one of the new boys in the stable—is trying to convince her horse to come with us. I had Coren run to get Neal, but he still isn't down here." That was the man holding her that spoke.

_So his name must be Dom_, Lucy thought. _Well I guess I can be nice and wake up for them. After all if they wanted something from me they would have already taken it. _She opened her eyes slowly, looking up at him. He looked to be about twenty-five, with blue eyes and floppy brown. His skin was tan, his beard cropped short. Deciding she didn't like being carried, especially by a complete stranger, Lucy tugged on his sleeve.

"Excuse me, sir, please put me down." It wasn't a request.

His eyes widened, "Of course." He set her on her feet gently. "I apologize for that, but when I found you slumped over your saddle and not waking up I was worried. So, I brought you back here to be healed by my cousin."

She nodded, taking it all in. "And where exactly is here?" Lucy looked at Kel through her peripheral vision, taking in her breeches and tunic, noting that she appeared to be around twenty years old.

Dom laughed, as did Kel. "You somehow managed to find your way to Fort Steadfast, in Tortall, near the border of Scanra."

Lucy looked around some more, before crinkling her eyebrows and looking back up at him. "Do you think you, or whoever is in charge here, could help me?"

Keladry answered, "We might be able to. What do you need?"

The girl looked up at the adults and took a deep breath. "My name is Lila Lucia—Lucy if you please. I am looking for my godsmother, but I don't know where she lives or what she looks like. Also, I don't know who my parents are. But I do know my godsmother's name!"

Dom smiled. "And what would her name be?"

"My godsmother's name is Alanna."

_Another quick note! SO, I had pretty much decided that this story just wasn't going to happen. Actually, when I uploaded my newest project, I nearly deleted this and "Prophecy of a Daughter". But something kept me from doing it! When I went to look at my story stats today, I was absolutely shocked: I had three hits for **this** story! That was more than enough reason for me to decide to work on this again! So, to you three people (or one or two, depending on if someone[s] went back and forth between the chapters), THANK YOU! Seeing someone read this has made me extremely happy! And now to work on the next chapter…_

_P.S. For future reference Dom is 26, Kel 19 (this is after her adventure in Scanra, before Raoul and Buri's wedding), Yuki is 20 and Neal is 25. Also, there will be some romance in here (I already know who Lucy will end up with!...unless I change my mind XP). I'd love for people to guess who Lucy's parents are though, as well as who the three people who know she exists (hint: One is Alanna, but her mother [obviously] knows and a third person who will be revealed later!). _


	3. Lili

Dom was floored, to say the least. Kel, ever the Yamani at heart, kept her calm and face. "Alanna the Lioness?" She asked, never letting her doubt show on her face.

Lucy looked up at her. "Yes…" She trailed off, before an excited light appeared in her eyes, "You know her?"

Kel nodded. "I do, actually, as does Dom. His cousin spent his squiredom with her." She turned toward the stable, calling for one of the stable-hands to fetch the Lady Alanna. Turning back toward Lucy, she said, "We should go to the infirmary to make sure you are alright, the Lioness will meet us there."

With a look back to where Evric had led Eclipse away, Lucy sighed and followed the Lady Knight and Sergeant to the infirmary. As they headed toward the building, they were met by a running Nealan of Queenscove.

"DOM! What is it, what's wrong, who's hurt?" Neal grasped his cousin's shoulders, giving him a slight shake. Giggling slightly, Lucy managed to gain his attention. "…and where did you find a girl all the way up here in the wilderness? Did you try kidnapping ladies again Domitan?" He raised his eyebrows at his cousin.

"Why of COURSE I kidnapped this lady, Sir Meathead, cousin mine! It's not as if a pretty young lady could have ended up here while searching for her godsmother. You are absolutely right on how she got here, got it in one. I'm so proud that you've finally managed to learn how to be realistic!" And with that, a slap to the back of "Sir Meathead's" head from Kel, and more giggles from Lucy, they continued to the infirmary, followed by a pouting Neal.

"Keladry," Duke Baird turned to greet her, "What have you done this time?" He gave her a rueful smile, as if expecting her to have a black eye or broken nose.

Smiling slightly, Kel shook her head. "It wasn't me this time, Your Grace. Dom was walking the around the walls when he found Lucy, this girl, slumped over her saddle horn. Could you make sure she's alright?"

Duke Baird peered around Kel, into Lucy's chocolate eyes. Kindly, he asked, "How did you get here, Lucy, was it?"

"I rode here, on Eclipse, my new horse." She sat down at the chair he indicated, while he pressed a glowing hand to her temple. "I was told to come here to find my godsmother."

"I see. Well, you appear to be fine. Are you dizzy, nauseous, hungry?" He looked at her contemplatively. "When was the last time you ate?"

She looked up at him, "I don't think I've eaten since the night before last. Maybe longer, depending on how long I had been passed out."

Signaling to one of the workers, Duke Baird asked him to retrieve some soup and bread for Lucy. "So, you came here to find your godsmother?"

Lucy nodded. "Yes sir, Your Grace. The…lady who gave me my horse told me that she, Eclipse I mean, would know where my godsmother was. And apparently she was right, as Lady Kel already sent someone to speak to her!" A smile crossed her face as she spoke.

"Your godsmother is here, in a warzone?" Duke Baird's face shifted slightly, as a frown crossed his features. "Lucy, who is—"

The infirmary door slamming open prevented him from answering. Out of breath, with flaming hair in disarray, Sir Alanna the Lioness inspected her godsdaughter. With her black hair and brown eyes, it was highly doubtful the girl was anyone other than her godsdaughter; with her tan skin, there was absolutely no room for doubt.

"Lila? Is that you?" Alanna stood a foot away from her, head cocked to one side in question.

"You're Alanna?" Lucy asked, as everyone froze.

She nodded, as her eyes got misty. Then, hesitantly at first, she reached out and pulled Lucy into a hug. Pulling back, she laughed slightly. "Do you know that, when I last saw you, you were trying to crawl around and play with my Moonlight's tail? She was lying on the ground with you, as if she was playing guard dog, and you were still too small to crawl."

Lucy blushed. "I don't honestly remember much before life with mam—Melley, my adoptive mother. But, I do remember another child, one with blue eyes and black hair. Nothing other than that, though." She smiled down at Alanna, realizing she had a good two inches on her in height. "I suppose I should tell you that, while my name is Lila Lucia, I have always gone by Lucy."

Expecting to see her nod, Lucy was shocked to see that Alanna had frozen. Recovering slightly, Alanna asked, "Another child? Lucy, was the child a boy or a girl? And how old?"

Startled by the sudden tension in the room, Keladry cut in. "Lioness, Lucy, I don't mean to be rude, but perhaps this discussion should take place elsewhere? I'm also sure Lord Wyldon would like to know why your godsdaughter is here."

Shaking her head slightly, as if to empty thoughts from her head, Alanna responded, "That is probably the best idea. Come, Lucy, let's go talk to the Stump, as my former squire appropriately named him some time ago. And Your Grace, could you have them send food for her to my quarters in the officer's barracks?" Without waiting for a reply, they were off.

Once they arrived in Lord Wyldon's office, he observed Lucy over folded hands. "I understand that you were told to come and find Lady Alanna, Miss, but this is a warzone. We cannot have defenseless individuals at a border fort. There is the possibility of going to New Hope until Lady Alanna is given time off, however that may not be for a very long time. Your best choice would be to return home, to your adoptive mother."

Lucy looked at him, an upset frown slowly coming over her face, "I don't mean to be rude, sir, or to argue, but I can't go back. I don't know how to get back there. And I came here to find Alanna, so that I could find my birth parents. Furthermore, I'm not defenseless. My weapons are with Eclipse—my horse—and she won't let anyone take them from her unless I tell her it's alright. As a matter of fact," she cocked her head to the side and closed her eyes, "Eclipse has already bitten two stable boys she felt were a little too curious about my fans." Opening her eyes, she saw that Alanna and Wyldon looked shocked. "Is something wrong?"

Wyldon tapped on his desk. "How do you know that she bit two boys?"

Looking confused, she answered, "I asked her and she said so. I doubt she would make up something. Horses are usually very honest." She smiled at him, hoping his face might become a little less…woody.

"How long have you been able to speak to horses?" This question came from Alanna.

She shifted her eyes to look into amethyst eyes. "I've been able to speak to all of the People since I was a child. I only recently realized I could hear the Naturaleza—the plants—as well. I have to work to hear them, and stay extremely quiet. I started hearing them a few days ago. Why do you—"

Before she could finish, a knock sounded on the door. A cheerful looking boy poked his head in the room saying, "Excuse me, my lord, but Fal, that is to say Sir Faleron of King's Reach, is here and was told to report to you, sir. And with him—oh! You have visitors, how jolly!"

Sighs of "Owen!" could be heard over Lucy's slight giggle, along with what sounded like someone hitting their head against the wooden wall.

Rubbing his temple, Wyldon looked said "Lady Knight, Miss, do you mind if we take a break so I may brief King's Reach? You may stay of course, but this will take only a moment." After they shook their heads and sat down off to the side, Wyldon beckoned for Owen to allow everyone in the hall to enter.

A man with dusty brown hair and bright eyes approached the desk while the other three men stayed near the back of the room. Studying the man in front, Lucy noted his tan skin and friendly aura, before turning her attention to the men at the back. The young man who had stuck his head in was there, along with a Bazhir-looking man not much older than her, and—

A loud gasp was heard from Lucy, her eyes stuck on the last man. Turning toward her, he froze as he looked into her eyes, causing everybody else to turn and look at them. "You! You were…when I was…and then you…" Confused at seeing him, she kept rambling, making no sense to anybody but him.

Laughing for the first time in months, he walked up to Lucy and tugged on a strand of her hair, much the way he would tease his sister. "After sixteen years I would think you'd have been more articulate than when you were a baby and unable to crawl, Lili." With his blue eyes shining down at her, Prince Roald of Conté could not see the shocked faces of Fal, his best friend, staring at him for teasing a girl for the first time that he could remember.

"I remembered you. I'd have dreams sometimes, and when I woke up all I could see were bright blue eyes and black hair." She cocked her head to the side, "But I completely forgot that you would call me Lili."

Alanna looked between her godschildren. "Not that this reunion isn't lovely and everything, but would you two care to explain how you know one another?"

Coming out of their little world, they looked at her startled, before Roald smiled. "Do you remember when I was five or six, and my mother and father sent me to the Swoop to stay with you, the Baron, and Thom?" Alanna nodded, still looking confused. "The twins had just been born, so you were running all over the place with Maude. But every day, you would go into a room and stay there for hours." Comprehension began to dawn on the Lioness' face. "I followed you and, obviously without getting caught, saw Lili, but I heard you calling her Lila. The first day I snuck in, after I was supposed to be napping. She was just a baby, and I sat there and looked at her for a while, trying to figure out why she was in a nursery by herself. When I tried to say 'Lila', it ended up coming out as 'Lili'. I snuck in there nearly every day I was at the Swoop, and I almost got caught once. But when I returned to Pirate's Swoop after being home for a few months, I went to her room and she wasn't there." At that, he turned back to Lucy and looked at her, scrutinizing her. "Half the time I thought I had made her up, the other half of the time I knew she was real. But for some reason, I never told anyone about her—about you," he said, nodding to her.

Alanna looked slightly more relaxed, although she was still tense. "Roald, did you ever, even once, hear me mention her mother or father?"

He looked at her. "No, Lady Alanna. I only ever heard you call her Lila and talk about Moonlight to her."

"And you never told anybody about her, not Kally, or Thom, not even your horse?" She looked at him calculatingly, as she held her ember charm.

"No. I told no one—no people, no animals."

Confused, Lucy looked at Alanna. "Why would it matter if he had told others?"

Obviously stressed, Alanna wrung her hands. "Well, you see, it is a bit complicated." Noticing the looks from the men in the room, Alanna addressed them, "Would you four excuse us, I'm afraid I need to explain some things to my godsdaughter and His Highness?"

Nodding their consent at Alanna's request, she promptly dragged them out of the room and into her quarters a floor above.

_A/N: So that was fun! Obviously, Alanna didn't know that Roald knew about Lucy! So, that still leaves her mama and one other person who knows she exists. Any guesses who they may be? :D Please review! Reviews=Happiness _


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